In a dramatic move of support for Pravin Gordhan, 81 CEOs pledged support for the finance minister days before he presents his mini budget and a week before he appears in court on fraud charges.
The list includes a number of names from the ICT sector, including Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko, MTN Group chairman Phuthuma Nhleko (and South Africa CEO Mteto Nyati), Blue Label Telecoms co-CEO Mark Levy, Dimension Data Middle East & Africa CEO Grant Bodley, Naspers CEO Bob van Dijk, Reunert CEO Alan Dickson and T-Systems South Africa CEO Gert Schoonbee.
“We stand as one for the rule of law and against the decision to prosecute the minister of finance on charges that are, according to the preponderance of expert legal opinion, without factual or legal foundation and not in the public interest,” the CEOs, who form part of the CEO Initiative, said in a press statement.
The initiative was formed after former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was fired in December 2015 and has worked with labour and government to find unity with business going forward.
“We stand against the damage this has caused to our economy and to the people of South Africa, especially the poor.”
The 81 CEOs who signed the pledge were:
- Altron: No name provided
- Anglo American: Mark Cutifani
- AngloGold Ashanti Limited: Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan
- Asisa: Leon Campher
- Aspasa & Sarma: Nico Pienaar
- Aveng: Kobus Verster
- Bain & Company: Vittorio Massone
- Barclays Africa: Maria Ramos
- Bid Corporation: Brian Joffe
- Blue Label Telecoms: Mark Levy
- Business Unity South Africa: Khanyisile Kweyama
- Business Leadership South Africa: Thero Setiloane (on behalf of member companies)
- Black Business Council: Mohale Ralebitso
- Bowman Gilfillan: Robert Legh (chairman)
- Capitec Bank: Gerrie Fourie
- CEO Initiative: Jabu Mabuza (convenor)
- Chamber of Mines: Roger Baxter
- Credit Suisse South Africa: Rick Menell (chairman)
- Dimension Data Middle East & Africa: Grant Bodley
- Discovery Limited: Adrian Gore
- Distell Limited: Richard Rushton
- ENSafrica: Michael Katz (chairman)
- Exxaro Resources Limited: Mxolisi Mgojo
- FirstRand Bank: Johan Burger
- Goldman Sachs: Colin Coleman
- Growthpoint Properties Ltd: Norbert Sasse
- Hollard Group: Nic Kohler
- Imperial Holdings: Mark Lamberti
- Independent: Michael Spicer
- Investec Bank Limited & Investec: Stephen Koseff
- JSE: Nicky Newton-King
- Kagiso Tiso Holdings: Vuyisa Nkonyeni
- KPMG Southern Africa: Trevor Hoole
- Liberty Holdings Group: Thabo Dloti
- Life Healthcare: André Meyer
- Lion Pride Investment Holdings: Geoff Rothschild
- Mediclinic SA: Danie Meintjes
- Menston Holdings: Stanley Subramoney
- MMI Holdings: Nicolaas Kruger
- Mondi Group: David Hathorn
- Mr Price Group: Stuart Bird
- MTN South Africa: Phuthuma Nhleko (chairman) and Mteto Nyati (CEO)
- Murray & Roberts Holdings Limited: Henry Laas
- Nampak Ltd: André de Ruyter
- Nando’s: Geoff Whyte
- Naspers: Bob van Dijk
- Nedbank Group: Vassi Naidoo (chairman)
- Nedbank Group: Mike Brown
- Netcare: Richard Friedland
- Northam Platinum: Paul Dunne
- Old Mutual: Bruce Hemphill: Dave Macready and Ralph Mupita
- PG Group: Charles Bromley
- Pick n Pay Stores: Gareth Ackerman (chairman)
- Pioneer Foods Group: Phil Roux
- Primedia: Roger Jardine
- RCL Foods: Miles Dally
- Remgro Finance Corporation: Jannie Durand
- Reunert: Alan Dickson
- Richards Bay Minerals: Mpho Mothoa
- RMB Holdings and RMI Holdings: Herman Bosman
- Rothschild: Martin Kingston
- Safika Holdings: Moss Ngoasheng
- Sanlam: Ian Kirk
- Sappi: Steve Binnie
- Sasol: Bongani Nqwababa and Stephen Cornell
- SEIFSA: Kaizer Nyatsumba
- Shell Downstream South Africa: Bonang Mohale
- Sibanye Gold: Neal Froneman
- South32 Limited: Michael Fraser
- Spar: Graham O’Connor
- Standard Bank Group: Ben Kruger and Sim Tshabalala
- Sun International: Graeme Stephens
- T-Systems South Africa: Gert Schoonbee
- Telkom: Sipho Maseko
- TFG: Doug Murray
- The Banking Association South Africa: Cas Coovadia
- Tower Property Fund Ltd: Marc Edwards
- Twinsaver Group: Garth Towell
- Webber Wentzel: Christo Els (senior partner)
- Woolworths Group South Africa: Simon Susman
- Woolworths Holdings (Australia): Ian Moir